Flash Flood Risk Management – A Training of Trainers ... - ReliefWeb

Day 8
gathered with each new flood event. Mechanisms must therefore be in place to feed basic planning data and
assessments of actual performance back into the strategic planning process. Various types of information that
are generated in the monitoring process are required for preparedness as well as to keep improving strategies
for emergency response, and these need to be shared across administrative boundaries.
Raising the awareness of property owners and stakeholders on the risks of flooding is paramount. When
stakeholders understand the risks to which they are exposed, they are more likely to participate in the
planning process. The flood hazard maps and all of the plans, programmes, and strategies that have been
devised form the basic information package that should be shared with all stakeholders as part of their
pre-flood preparedness. These, along with the related timing and background information that have been
subjected to public scrutiny, must be made available and accessible to the public at large.
Information about the rights, powers, and obligations of the concerned authorities for the provision of flood
forecasting, warning, and emergency response should also be shared. The rights of access of authorities
to relevant information should be made clear, and the availability of such information should be ensured
(basin wide). Authorities should be obligated to broadcast flood warnings in the mass media. Unambiguous
assignment of responsibilities is also essential for establishment of liabilities in the case that warnings are
issued too late, inaccurately, or without just cause.
Enabling stakeholder participation
Stakeholder participation is central to the IFM concept. In order for IFM to deliver maximum benefit to the
largest number of people, all stakeholders must be involved in the decision-making process. The level of
participation of the different interested groups will vary depending on their expertise and whether they are
involved nationally or locally, however, regardless of the level of involvement, without effective participation
from all quarters, IFM cannot succeed.
The realisation that the participation of stakeholders in flood management is necessary leads to a number of
questions, such as:
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What decisions should they be involved in?
• What information should be provided, and how, to achieve effective participation?
• How much consideration should be given to stakeholder views?
• What rights, powers, and obligations should the stakeholders and the decision-making authorities have?
It is important to recognise that the stakeholders referred to above include not only property owners and
inhabitants of the area (who are particularly vulnerable to flooding), but also other bodies that have an interest
in the way the decisions affecting flood management are made. If flood management is to be sustainable, it
must accommodate the economic, environmental, and social needs of the basin, and stakeholders reflecting
each of these aspects must have a role in the way flood management is planned and implemented.
Ensuring rights, powers, and obligations
Institutions and individuals must have the necessary rights and power to implement the legal provisions
related to flash flood management. Legislation works within the framework of the constitution of a country.
Constitutional rights differ from those arising from the overall statutory framework. The rights of institutions and
organisations need to be examined separately from the rights afforded to individuals. Some countries have
promoted decentralisation and transferred powers to formal village groups and associations; in that context
group rights have been significant. With the adoption of integrated and participatory approaches to flood
management there is a growing need to develop conditions under which groups can form legally constituted
associations or local self-governance units to exercise their legal rights.
session 17
125